Technique for providing information on time to read a file

ABSTRACT

An information providing system and method, including a computer, for providing time taken to read a file, which includes an acquisition unit. The acquisition unit obtains information on a recording position of a file when the file is recorded in a storage device. A recording unit writes information on the obtained recording position to an index referred to access the file. A calculation unit calculates time taken to read the file using the information on the recording position written to the index in response to a request to obtain the time taken to read the file, and providing the calculated time to a requester that requests the time.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a system and a method for providinginformation on the time taken to read a file, as well as a program forexecuting the method.

Examples of a storage device for storing data include a solid statedrive (SSD), a hard disk drive (HDD), and a magnetic tape medium(hereinafter simply referred to as tape). The storage device stores dataas a file. The file is managed with a file system using information(metadata) on the file as an index.

If a tape is used as a storage device, for example, a linear tape filesystem (LTFS) is used as the file system. When a file is recorded on atape in the LTFS format, it takes several minutes to scan the tape fromone end to the other end because tape is a long recording mediumextending in one direction, and thus read time varies significantlydepending on the recording position of the file on the tape.

Internet Explorer® provided by Microsoft® obtains the time taken totransfer a file by measuring a file transfer rate after starting thetransfer and dividing the size of the file by the transfer rate andprovides information on the time by means of display or the like.

In the case of tape, the time for a reading head to move to a filerecording position on the tape (seek time) is needed before filetransfer is started, during which the time taken for the transfer cannotbe updated. Furthermore, with the LTFS, if data is added to the tape,fragments of the data are separately recorded on a plurality ofpositions of the tape. Thus, the LTFS reads the data while seeking allthe fragments. This makes it difficult to predict the time from thestart of reading the file to the end thus making it impossible toprovide correct read time.

To predict the time taken to read a file on a tape, a method forcalculating the time taken to read data recorded on a tape in a tapelibrary has been proposed (for example, see PCT InternationalPublication No. WO2010/035617).

SUMMARY

When a file is recording on a tape in the LTFS format, an index, whichis information on the file, is also recorded on the tape. The indexincludes file name, data size, record time, etc. The recording positionof the file on the tape is indicated by a position in a longitudinaldirection of the tape (hereinafter referred to as LPOS) and a positionin a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction(hereinafter referred to as Wrap). A tape drive reads and writes data onthe basis of Wrap and LPOS, but the LTFS does not detect at which Wrapand LPOS the file is recorded. Thus, to calculate the time taken to reada file in a tape, the method disclosed in PCT International PublicationNo. WO2010/035617, needs to mount the tape and obtain positionalinformation on the file recorded in the tape and, for data recorded atintervals due to addition, the method cannot disadvantageously providecorrect read time, as described above.

In one embodiment according to the invention, an information providingsystem, including a computer, provides time taken to read a file. Theinformation providing system includes an acquisition unit which obtainsinformation on a recording position of a file when the file is recordedin a storage device. A recording unit writes information on the obtainedrecording position to an index referred to access the file. Acalculation unit calculates time taken to read the file using theinformation on the recording position written to the index in responseto a request to obtain the time taken to read the file, and providingthe calculated time to a requestor that requests the time.

In another embodiment according to the invention, a method executed byan information providing system for providing time taken to read a file,includes: obtaining information on a recording position of a file whenthe file is recorded in a storage device; writing information on theobtained recording position to an index referred to access the file; andcalculating time taken to read the file using the information on therecording position written to the index in response to a request toobtain the time taken to read the file; and providing the calculatedtime to a requestor that requests the time taken to read the file.

In another embodiment according to the invention, a computer programproduct provides time taken to read a file. The computer program productcomprising a computer readable storage medium having programinstructions embodied therewith, and the program instructions executableby a computer to cause the computer to perform a method, comprising:obtaining information on a recording position of a file when the file isrecorded in a storage device; writing information on the obtainedrecording position to an index referred to access the file; calculatingtime taken to read the file using the information on the recordingposition written to the index in response to a request to obtain thetime taken to read the file; and providing the calculated time to arequestor that requests the time taken to read the file.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of filesrecorded on a tape.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an informationproviding system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the softwareconfiguration of the information providing system.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the information providingsystem.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an index to which informationon an obtained recording position.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating recording positions of a file recordedon a tape.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating recording positions of a file recordedon a tape.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for a process performed by the informationproviding system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

When a file is recording on a tape in the LTFS format, an index, whichis information on the file, is also recorded on the tape. The indexincludes file name, data size, record time, etc. The tape libraryconnects to a server unit. The server unit that has received a readrequest or a write request reads or writes the file from or to the tapelibrary. At that time, the tape is mounted so that an applicationimplemented in the server unit can use the file on the tape with theLTFS. When the tape is mounted, the server unit reads an index for usewith the LTFS from the tape and stores the index in a cache of theserver unit.

Referring to FIG. 1, with the LTFS format, if a tape 1 to which a file 2is added has a file 3 recorded on it, a fragment of data in the file 2is recorded following a file 3, as shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the file 2 isplaced at intervals on the tape 1. Information on the fragment of thedata is recorded in a predetermined area called “extent” provided in theindex. The extent stores, as information on the fragment of the data,the offset of the fragment in the file, the block number on the tape,the byte count, etc. The block number is a sequential number on the tapebut does not indicate the recording position of the file on the tape.

The recording position of the file on the tape is indicated by aposition in a longitudinal direction of the tape (hereinafter referredto as LPOS) and a position in a lateral direction perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction (hereinafter referred to as Wrap). A tape drivereads and writes data on the basis of Wrap and LPOS, but the LTFS doesnot detect at which Wrap and LPOS the file is recorded.

Thus, to calculate the time taken to read a file in a tape, the methoddisclosed in PCT International Publication No. WO2010/035617 needs tomount the tape and obtain positional information on the file recorded inthe tape and, for data recorded at intervals due to addition, the methodcannot disadvantageously provide correct read time, as described above.

In view of the above problems, the embodiments of the present inventionprovide an information providing system for providing time taken to reada file. The system includes acquisition means, embodied as anacquisition unit, for obtaining information on a recording position of afile when the file is recorded in a storage device. A recording means,embodied as a recording unit, for writing information on the obtainedrecording position to an index referred to access the file. Acalculation means, embodied as a calculation unit, for calculating timetaken to read the file using the information on the recording positionwritten to the index in response to a request to obtain the time takento read the file and providing the calculated time to a requestor thatrequests the time.

The embodiments of the present invention allow provision of correct timetaken to read a file recorded on a storage device without the need foraccessing the storage device as the need arises.

Although the present invention will be described based on specificembodiments shown in the drawings, the present invention is not limitedthereto. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of aninformation providing system 10. The information providing system 10calculates the time taken to read a file in response to a read-timeacquisition request and provides the calculated read time. This time canbe presented to a user on a display or the like.

The information providing system 10 includes a storage device forrecording files and an information processing unit that calculates thetime taken to read a file from the storage device and provides thecalculated time. In FIG. 2, the storage device includes a tape 11 and atape drive 12 that reads and writes a file from/to the tape 11, and theinformation processing unit is a server unit 13 connected to the tapedrive 12. This configuration is given for mere illustration and is notintended to limit the present invention.

Thus, the storage device may be an SSD or an HDD, and the informationprocessing unit may be a PC, a tablet terminal, a workstation, and thelike. The numbers of storage devices and information processing unit maynot be one, respectively, but may be two or more. Although the storagedevice shown in FIG. 2 includes only the tape 11 and the tape drive 12in which the tape 11 is to be inserted, a tape library which manages andoperates a plurality of tapes and in which a plurality of tape drivesare installed may be used.

In FIG. 2, the tape drive 12 and the server unit 13 are connectedtogether with a cable or the like; alternatively, they may be connectedover a network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network(WAN), or the Internet. The network may be either a wired network or awireless network.

An example of the tape 11 is a tape cartridge in which magnetic tape iswound around a reel. The tape drive 12 includes an insertion openingthrough which the cartridge is to be inserted. The tape 11 can be set byinserting the cartridge into the insertion opening. The tape drive 12reads and writes a file from/to the tape 11 set in the tape drive 12 inresponse to an instruction from the server unit 13.

The tape drive 12 may include, for example, an input/output I/F thatreceives an instruction to write and read a file to/from the tape 11 viaa file system from an application implemented in the server unit 13; amemory that accumulates files to be written and read files; a head thatactually writes and reads files to/from the tape 11; a driving unit thatrotates the reel at a regular rotational speed; and a controller thatcontrols the entire tape drive 12.

The server unit 13 may include either one computer or a plurality ofcomputers connected together so that the individual computers executeparallel processing as nodes. The server unit 13 includes a CPU 14 thatcontrols the entire server unit 13, a ROM 15, a RAM 16, a HDD 17, and aninput/output I/F 18. They are connected together with a bus 19 fortransferring information.

The ROM 15 stores a boot program for starting the server unit 13 andfirmware for controlling the tape drive 12 connected to the server unit13, etc. The RAM 16 provides a working area for the CPU 14 and is usedas a cache for the HDD 17 for high-speed processing. The HDD 17 storesan OS and a program for calculating the file read time and providing thecalculated read time. The HDD 17 can further store various applicationprograms running on the OS, data necessary for the application programs,etc.

The input/output I/F 18 connects to the tape drive 12 and receivesinstructions to write and read a file to/from the tape 11 from anapplication via the file system and outputs the instructions to the tapedrive 12. The input/output I/F 18 also transfers a target file to thetape drive 12. The file is read and obtained using the tape drive 12.

The tape 11 stores an index, which is metadata stored in a format that afiles system, such as an LTFS, for managing files can use. When the tape11 is inserted, or mounted, into the tape drive 12, the file system ofthe server unit 13 reads the index stored in the tape 11 via theinput/output I/F 18 and stores the index in a cache. This allows thefile system to respond to an inquiry for the file on the tape 11, etc.from an application.

The server unit 13 can further include as hardware an external storageI/F, a network I/F, an input device, a display device, an audio inputdevice, an audio output device, and so on. The external storage I/F isan interface for connecting to an external HDD or the like. The networkI/F is an interface for connecting to a network. The input device is adevice for inputting data and so on, such as a keyboard and a mouse. Thedisplay device is device for displaying the state and result ofprocessing, such as a display.

The server unit 13 may be connected to a network so as to be connectedto the computer of a user or an administrator who manages theinformation providing system 10 via the network.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the softwareconfiguration of the information providing system 10. The server unit 13can implement, in addition to the OS, such as a Linux® OS, a Windows®OS, or a Mac® OS, an application 20 running on the OS for requesting toobtain file read time. The application 20 may be any application thatrequests to obtain the time. The application 20 may be implemented inthe computer of the user or the administrator, described above.

The tape 11 includes one or more files written in a format that an LTFS21 manages and indices 22 that the LTFS 21 manages. The server unit 13implements, in addition to the application 20 and the LTFS 21, a devicedriver 24 that allows access to the indices 22 that the LTFS 21 read ina cache 23 and the files on the tape 11. Thus, specifically, aninstruction to write or read a file to/from the tape 11 is output fromthe application 20 to the tape drive 12 via the LTFS 21 and the devicedriver 24. In FIG. 3, the indices 22 are read and stored in the cache23.

An example in which a Linux® OS is used will be described. A request toobtain file read time can be made using ioctl (input/output control)system call from the application 20. The ioctl system call can be calledby a user process from a user's or administrator's computer and can alsobe used to change device settings and to read the settings. For aWindows® OS, the same request as with the ioctl system call can be madeusing a function DeviceIoControl( ).

In the ioctl system call, an ioctl command constant(LTFS_FILE_READ_TIME) can be defined to obtain file read time. For theLTFS 21, a read time calculation function (ltfs_file_read_time( )),which is called using the defined ioctl command constant, is prepared.

The application 20 calls the function in the LTFS 21 with the ioctlsystem call using file name, file path, ioctl command constant, and theoffset and data size of the file as parameters for the ioctl systemcall. With the function, read time is calculated from the offset anddata size of the target data in the file, which are set in the receivedparameters, and the result is set into a structure and is returned tothe application 20.

The application 20 can perform the ioctl system call as needed at filereading to obtain remaining, changing read time, and can display thetime on a display device or the like.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram for performing the process. Theinformation providing system 10 includes, its functional units, anacquisition unit 30, a recording unit 31, and a calculation unit 32.When a file is recorded in a storage device, such as the tape 11, theacquisition unit 30 obtains information on the recording position of thefile. Writing of the file to the tape 11 is performed by the tape drive12 in response to an instruction from the application 20 via the filesystem. The acquisition unit 30 obtains the actual position of the filewritten on the tape 11 by the tape drive 12, specifically, Wrap and LPOSat the start of writing and Wrap and LPOS at the end of writing, fromthe tape drive 12.

For example, Wrap and LPOS can be obtained from sense data or mode pagedata indicating the operating state of the tape drive 12 obtained usinga small computer system interface (SCSI) command. Alternatively, Wrapand LPOS can be obtained using a method of implementing a command tospecify write data and obtain Wrap and LPOS in the tape drive 12. Thesense data and the mode page data include, in addition to information ona file recording start position and a file-recording end position, thepositional information on the head, from which the Wrap and LPOS of thehead can be obtained.

The recording unit 31 writes the information on the recording positionof the file obtained by the acquisition unit 30 to an index to bereferred to access the file. The LTFS 21 creates extent in the indexwhen recording the data. FIG. 5 is a diagram 100 showing an example ofthe index. In FIG. 5, the part expressed in boldface is the createdextent 104, of which the italic part is the information on the recordingposition of the file.

The information written to extent includes the offset of the file(fileoffset), the block number at which recording of the file is started(startblock), and the byte count (bytecount), and in addition, afile-recording start position (startwrap, startlpos) and afile-recording end position (endwrap, endlpos).

Referring again to FIG. 4, in response to a request to obtain file readtime issued from the application 20, the calculation unit 32 cancalculate file read time from the information on the file-recordingstart position and the recording end position written to the index usingcalculation expressions described later. The calculation unit 32 cancalculate the time until data reading is started and the time from thestart of data reading to the end.

The calculation unit 32 can return the calculated times to theapplication 20 as calculation results so that the application 20 candisplay the times on a display device. The application 20 can onlydisplay the times but also output the times with voice. The times can bedisplayed on the display of another device connected to the network, forexample, the display of a computer that the user or an administratoruses or can be output with voice from an audio output device of theexternal device, such as a speaker.

Referring to FIG. 6, addition of data to the tape 11 will be described.The tape drive 12 loaded with the tape 11 receives an instruction fromthe application 20 via the file system and adds data to a designatedrecording position on the tape 11. The added data is recorded on anotherblock of the tape 11 separate from the previously recorded data, andanother extent indicating the position is added to the index. Wrap andLPOS of the newly recorded data are recorded on the extent.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, a diagram 150 is depicted wherein LP3and LP4 are a recording start position and a recording end position inthe data storage area in the longitudinal direction of the tape 11,respectively. In the first Wrap, data is recorded from LP3 to LP4; inthe second Wrap, data is reversely recorded from LP4 to LP3; and in thethird Wrap, data is recorded from LP3 to LP4. Although data is notrecorded from Wrap at the end of the tape 11 in sequence, it is recordedfrom the top for simplicity.

In FIG. 6, the first data is recorded from position S1 to position E1 onthe tape 11, and after another data is recorded, additional data isrecorded from position S2 to position E2. Specifically, the first datais recorded in W_(S1) from position S1 to LP3, in the next Wrap, fromLP3 to LP4, and in the further next Wrap, from LP4 to LP3, and inW_(E1), from LP3 to position E1. After another data is recorded,additional data is recorded in W_(S2) from position S2 to LP4, and inW_(E2), from LP4 to position E2.

When the first data and additional data are recorded, the acquisitionunit 30 obtains information on positions S1 and S2, and after the firstdata and additional data are recorded, also obtains information on therecording end positions E1 and E2. Specifically, the acquisition unit 30obtains Wrap=W_(S1) and LPOS=L_(S1) as the information on position S1,and obtains Wrap=W_(S2) and LPOS=L_(S2) as the information on positionS2. The acquisition unit 30 further obtains Wrap=W_(E1) and LPOS=L_(E1)as the information on position E1 and obtains Wrap=W_(E2) andLPOS=L_(E2) as the information on position E2.

The recording unit 31 writes the information on the recording positionsobtained by the acquisition unit 30 to extent created in the index. Therecording unit 31 writes W_(S1) and L_(S1) of the position S1 and W_(E1)and L_(E1) of position E1 to extent in the index of the first data, andwrites W_(S2) and L_(S2) of position S2 and W_(E2) and L_(E2) ofposition E2 to extent of the index of the additional data.

The calculation unit 32 calculates the time to the start of data reading(fileStartReadTime) and the time from the start of data reading to theend (fileLeftReadTime) using Wrap and LPOS recorded on the extent. ThefileStartReadTime on the first data recorded in position S1 to positionE1 can be calculated using the following Eq. 1, and the fileLeftReadTimecan be calculated using the following Eq. 2.

$\begin{matrix}{{fileStartReadTime} = {{T_{WC}\left( 0\rightarrow W_{S\; 1} \right)} + \frac{{L_{S\; 1} - {{lp}\; 3}}}{S_{L}}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack \\{{fileLeftReadTime} = {{\sum\limits_{W = W_{S\; 1}}^{W_{E\; 1} - 1}\;{T_{WC}\left( W\rightarrow{W + 1} \right)}} + \frac{{f\left( {W_{E\; 1},W_{S\; 1}} \right)} \times \left( {W_{E\; 1} - W_{S\; 1} - 1} \right) \times \left( {{{lp}\; 4} - {{lp}\; 3}} \right)}{S_{R}} + \frac{{g\left( {W_{E\; 1},W_{S\; 1}} \right)} \times \left( {{{L_{S\; 1} - {l\left( W_{S\; 1} \right)}}} + {{L_{E\; 1} - {l\left( {W_{E\; 1} + 1} \right)}}}} \right)}{S_{R}} + \frac{\left( {1 - {g\left( {W_{E\; 1},W_{S\; 1}} \right)}} \right) \times {{L_{E\; 1} - L_{S\; 1}}}}{S_{R}}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 2} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

In Eq. 1 and Eq. 2, LP3 and LP4 are LPOS of LP3 and LP4, respectively;SR(LPOS/s) is the reading speed; SL(LPOS/s) is the speed of the headmoving to a predetermined position on the tape 11 during seeking; andT_(WC)(W_(n)→W_(m)) is the function of the time taken to move from Wrapn to Wrap m. At any Wrap W, l(W) is a function which is LP3 when LPOS atan end in the data recording direction is LP3, and which is LP4 when theLPOS is LP4; f(W_(En), W_(Sn)) is a function which is 1 when thedifference between Wrap=W_(En) at the recording end position and Wrap=WSn at the recording start position is greater than 1, and otherwise,which is 0; and g(W_(En), W_(Sn)) is a function which is 0 when W_(En)and W_(Sn) are the same, and otherwise, which is 1. When the tape 11 isloaded, the head is at LP3. Thus, not the function l(W) but LP3 is usedin Eq. 1.

Eq. 1 is an expression in which the time taken for the head to move fromthe initial position Wrap=0 to Wrap of the recording start position andthe time taken to move from LP3 to any LPOS are added. Eq. 2 is anexpression in which the time taken to transit Wrap if Wrap transits, thetime taken to read data from end to end if Wrap transits and data isrecorded from end to end in the same Wrap, the time taken to read datafrom the recording start position to the end and from the end to therecording end position if Wrap transits and data is not recorded fromend to end in the same Wrap, and the time taken to read data from therecording start position to the recording end position if Wrap does nottransit are added together.

Eq. 2 can be applied not only to the first data but also to additionaldata, allowing calculation of the time from the start of reading theadditional data to the end. The time from the start of reading the fileto the end includes, in addition to the time taken to read the firstdata and the additional data, the time taken for the head to move fromthe first-data recording end position to the additional-data recordingstart position. The time to the end of reading the file including thistime (fileLeftReadTime) can be obtained using Eq. 3. In Eq. 3, N is thenumber of the last extent.

$\begin{matrix}{{fileLeftReadTime} = {{\sum\limits_{n = 0}^{N}\;{\sum\limits_{W = W_{S\; n}}^{W_{E\; n} - 1}{T_{WC}\left( W\rightarrow{W + 1} \right)}}} + {\sum\limits_{n = 0}^{N}\frac{{f\left( {W_{E\; n},W_{S\; n}} \right)} \times \left( {W_{E\; n} - W_{S\; n} - 1} \right) \times \left( {{{lp}\; 4} - {{lp}\; 3}} \right)}{S_{R}}} + {\sum\limits_{n = 0}^{N}\frac{{g\left( {W_{E\; n},W_{S\; n}} \right)} \times \left( {{{L_{S\; n} - {l\left( W_{S\; n} \right)}}} + {{L_{E\; n} - {l\left( {W_{E\; n} + 1} \right)}}}} \right)}{S_{R}}} + {\sum\limits_{n = 0}^{N}\frac{\left( {1 - {g\left( {W_{E\; n},W_{S\; n}} \right)}} \right) \times {{L_{E\; n} - L_{S\; n}}}}{S_{R}}} + {\sum\limits_{n = 0}^{N - 1}\left( {{T_{WC}\left( W_{En}\rightarrow W_{{Sn} + 1} \right)} + \frac{{L_{E\; n} - L_{{S\; n} + 1}}}{S_{L}}} \right)}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 3} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

The time taken to read all additional data from the first data can becalculated using Eq. 3. If the tape 11 has already been mounted, theposition of the head for use in writing and reading data is sometimes inan intermediate point on the tape 11. In this case, if an instruction toobtain file read time is received from the application 20, the head hasto be moved from the intermediate point of the data to the file-readingstart position.

The head in this case is located on a point (W_(cur), L_(cur)) on atable on which data corresponding to extent k is recorded, as shown inFIG. 7 in diagram 155. The data corresponding to extent k may be eitherthe first data or additional data. If the head is at an intermediatepoint of data, the time taken to return from the point to S1 can beobtained using Eq. 4.

$\begin{matrix}{{fileStartReadTime} = {{T_{WC}\left( W_{cur}\rightarrow W_{S\; 1} \right)} + \frac{{L_{cur} - L_{S\; 1}}}{S_{L}}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 4} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$The time taken to read the file can be obtained by addingfileLeftReadTime in Eq. 2 and Eq. 3 to the time taken to return to S1.

If sequential read time is required, and the time is calculated forprovision, the time taken from an intermediate point to the end ofreading has to be calculated and provided. The time taken to read extentdata from an intermediate point to the recording end position can becalculated using Eq. 5 using the recording end position Wrap=W_(Ek) andLPOS=L_(Ek).

$\begin{matrix}{{{fileLeftReadTime}\left( {cur}\rightarrow k \right)} = {{\sum\limits_{W = W_{cur}}^{W_{Ek} - 1}\;{T_{WC}\left( W\rightarrow{W + 1} \right)}} + \frac{{f\left( {W_{E\; k},W_{cur}} \right)} \times \left( {W_{Ek} - W_{cur} - 1} \right) \times \left( {{{lp}\; 4} - {{lp}\; 3}} \right)}{S_{R}} + \frac{{g\left( {W_{E\; k},W_{cur}} \right)} \times \left( {{{L_{cur} - {l\left( W_{cur} \right)}}} + {{L_{E\; k} - {l\left( {W_{E\; k} + 1} \right)}}}} \right)}{S_{R}} + \frac{\left( {1 - {g\left( {W_{E\; k},W_{cur}} \right)}} \right) \times {{L_{E\; k} - L_{cur}}}}{S_{R}}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 5} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

The time taken to read remaining data corresponding to extent k+1 toextent N can be calculated using Eq. 6.

$\begin{matrix}{{{fileLeftReadTime}\left( {k + 1}\rightarrow N \right)} = {{\sum\limits_{n = {k + 1}}^{N}\;{\sum\limits_{W = W_{Sn}}^{W_{En} - 1}\;{T_{WC}\left( W\rightarrow{W + 1} \right)}}} + {\sum\limits_{n = {k + 1}}^{N}\frac{{f\left( {W_{E\; n},W_{S\; n}} \right)} \times \left( {W_{E\; n} - W_{S\; n} - 1} \right) \times \left( {{{lp}\; 4} - {{lp}\; 3}} \right)}{S_{R}}} + {\sum\limits_{n = {k + 1}}^{N}\frac{{g\left( {W_{E\; n},W_{S\; n}} \right)} \times \left( {{{L_{S\; n} - {l\left( W_{S\; n} \right)}}} + {{L_{E\; n} - {l\left( {W_{E\; n} + 1} \right)}}}} \right)}{S_{R}}} + {\sum\limits_{n = {k + 1}}^{N}\frac{\left( {1 - {g\left( {W_{E\; n},W_{S\; n}} \right)}} \right) \times {{L_{E\; n} - L_{S\; n}}}}{S_{R}}} + {\sum\limits_{n = {k + 1}}^{N - 1}\left( {{T_{WC}\left( W_{En}\rightarrow W_{{Sn} + 1} \right)} + \frac{{L_{E\; n} - L_{{S\; n} + 1}}}{S_{L}}} \right)}}} & \left\lbrack {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 6} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

The time taken to read remaining data from the intermediate point to theend can be obtained by adding the time given by Eq. 5 and the time givenby Eq. 6. The calculation unit 32 can perform sequential computationusing Eq. 5 and Eq. 6 and sequentially provide changing remaining readtime to the requestor that requests the time.

Although the time taken to read remaining data is obtained in this way,the present invention is not limited thereto; the time taken to readremaining data may be obtained by obtaining the time taken to read theentire data using Eq. 2 and the time taken to read to an intermediatepoint and obtaining the difference therebetween.

Referring to FIG. 8, a flowchart for a process performed by theinformation providing system 10 will be described. The process isstarted from step 800. At step 805, the information providing system 10receives a request to obtain file read time, in which file name, theoffset of the file, and the length of data are specified, from theapplication 20, which is a requestor that issues the request.Specifically, the information providing system 10 receives an inquiryusing ioctl system call with the above parameters.

At step 810, extent to be referred to in the index is determined on thebasis of the file name, file offset, and data length specified in therequest. The index includes extent to which the offset of the file iswritten, in addition to the attribute information, such as the file nameand data length. This allows reference extent to be determined on thebasis of the attribute information and so on.

At step 815, information on the recording start position and therecording end position of the data is obtained from the determinedextent. Specifically, Wrap and LPOS at the start of reading and Wrap andLPOS at the end of reading are obtained. At step 820, it is determinedwhether the tape 11 has been mounted. When the tape 11 is mounted, theprocess goes to step 825, at which the current position of the head isacquired from the information obtained from the tape drive 12, and goesto step 830. When the tape 11 is not mounted, the process goes directlyto step 830. The current position of the head can be obtained asinformation on Wrap and LPOS from sense data or the like obtained inresponse to the SCSI command.

At step 830, fileStartReadTime and fileLeftReadTime are calculated frominformation on a predetermined initial position or the current positionof the head and information on the file-recording start position and therecording end position of the file using the above equations. At step835, the calculation unit 32 returns the calculated fileStartReadTimeand fileLeftReadTime to the requester application 20. The application 20displays the information on a display device, such as a display, and atstep 840, the information providing system 10 terminates the process.

Although the foregoing embodiment has been described as applied to acase where the time taken to read a file from the single application 20is requested, one file can be read from a plurality of applications. Inthis case, the applications can inquire about read time as the needarises and return estimated read time at the time of inquiry.

Once a tape that can be accessed from a plurality of nodes is mounted,the index thereof is stored on a shared disk shared by the plurality ofnodes. Thus, when the same file is to be read from the individualapplications of the nodes, information on extent in the index stored inthe shared disk can be read, and file read time can be calculated.

When a tape library in which a plurality of tapes and a plurality ofdrives are installed is used, if a target tape is not mounted, the timefor the tape to be moved to a tape drive and set therein is needed.Thus, for the tape that is not mounted, the moving time in the librarycan be added to fileStartReadTime.

The moving time in the library can be set to extended attributes of thefile. In this case, the set time can be obtained with reference to theextended attributes and can be added to fileStartReadTime. This time maybe set in advance, may be regularly calculated for setting, or may beset in response to a request.

Not only the moving time in the library but also the time to read a filethat is not mounted may be calculated in advance and may be set in theextended attributes of the file. This allows correct time taken to readthe file to be provided faster.

If a Unix® OS is used, the values set in the extended attributes of thefile can be read in response to “attr-g” command, which is a systemcommand. If a Windows® OS is used, the values set in the extendedattributes of the file can be read using an application programminginterface (API). If Windows® OS is used, software called IBM LTFS Tools(provided by IBM) that provides the function of reading extendedattributes can be used.

The cache 23 can be used as storage means for storing an index read fromthe tape 11. The calculation unit 32 can calculate the time taken toread the file using the index. A determination unit may be provided todetermine whether the tape 11 is mounted or not. Another determinationunit may be provided so that, if it is determined that the tape 11 ismounted, it can be determined whether the head is on the tape 11 onwhich a file is recorded.

Thus, file read time can be provided without the need for accessing tapeas need arises by recording the physical recording start position andrecording end position of the file on the tape on the extent of theindex, and if a request for file read time is given, by reading theinformation on the positions from the extent and calculating the readtime and returning it. Even for a file in which additional data isrecorded at intervals, correct read time can be provided.

Thereby, in the embodiments of the present disclosure described above, asystem and method is provided for providing correct time taken to read afile recorded on a storage device without the need for accessing thestorage device as the need arises. The system is an informationproviding system for providing time taken to read a file. The systemincludes acquisition means, embodied as an acquisition unit, forobtaining information on a recording position of a file when the file isrecorded in a storage device; recording means, embodied as a recordingunit, for writing information on the obtained recording position to anindex referred to access the file; and calculation means, embodied as acalculating unit, for calculating time taken to read the file using theinformation on the recording position written to the index in responseto a request to obtain the time taken to read the file and providing thecalculated time to a requestor that requests the time.

Although a system, a method, and a program for providing informationaccording to embodiments of the present invention have been described indetail with reference to the drawings, it is to be understood thatmodifications can be made within the scope that those skilled in the artcan consider, for example, other embodiments, addition, changes, anddeletion, and that any forms are included in the scope of the presentinvention provided that they offer the operational advantages of thepresent invention. Accordingly, a recording medium for recording theabove program and a server unit that provides the program via a networkor the like can also be provided.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information providing system, including acomputer, for providing time taken to read a file, comprising: anacquisition unit for obtaining information on a recording position of afile when the file is recorded in a storage device, the storage devicebeing a mountable magnetic tape medium; a recording unit for writinginformation on the obtained recording position to an index, the indexbeing referred to when accessing the file, and when accessing the filethe obtained recording position being written to the indexcontemporaneously with the file being recorded in the storage device,the recording position of the file written to the index being recordedseparate from the recorded file, and the index which includes therecording position being stored in another storage device other thanwith the recorded file, the recording position of the file being anactual position of the file recorded in the storage device and theactual position being obtained using the acquisition unit, the actualposition includes a WRAP (lateral direction perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction) and LPOS (longitudinal direction of a tape) atthe start of writing and WRAP and LPOS at the end of writing; acalculation unit for calculating time taken to read the file using theinformation on the recording position written to the index in responseto a request to obtain the time taken to read the file, when the tapemedium is not mounted, the calculating of the time taken to read thefile including a recording start position and a recording end positionfor the file written to the index, the calculation unit calculating thetime from the start position of data reading to the end position usingthe recorded start position and the recorded end position written to theindex without subsequently accessing the storage device after receivingthe request to obtain the time taken to read the file; and providing thecalculated time to a requestor that initiated the request to obtain thetime to read the file when the tape medium is not mounted, therebyproviding the calculated time to read the file without accessing thestorage device after receiving the request to obtain the time taken toread the file.
 2. The information providing system according to claim 1,wherein the storage device is a magnetic tape medium; and theacquisition unit obtains, information on a recording start position ofthe file and information on a recording end position of the file from atape drive that records the file in the magnetic tape medium.
 3. Theinformation providing system according to claim 2, wherein the recordingposition of the file includes a recording start position and a recordingend position of the file in a longitudinal direction of the magnetictape medium and a recording start position and a recording end positionof the file in a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinaldirection of the magnetic tape medium.
 4. The information providingsystem according to claim 1, further comprising: another storage devicefor storing the index read from the storage device, wherein thecalculation unit calculates the time taken to read the file using theindex stored in the storage means.
 5. The information providing systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit calculates first timetaken to start reading data on the file and second time from start ofreading of the data to end of the reading and provides the first timeand the second time as the time taken to read the file.
 6. Theinformation providing system according to claim 1, wherein the fileincludes first data and one or more pieces of second data added to thefirst data; the acquisition unit obtains information on the recordingposition for each of the first data and the one or more pieces of seconddata; the recording unit writes the information on the recordingpositions to the index; and the calculation unit calculates the timetaken to read the file by adding times taken to read the first data andthe one or more pieces of second data together.
 7. The informationproviding system according to claim 2, further comprising: a firstdetermination unit that determines whether the magnetic tape medium ismounted; and a second determination unit that, if it is determined thatthe magnetic tape medium is mounted, determines whether a head that thetape drive uses for reading and writing is present on the magnetic tapemedium on which the file is recorded, wherein if it is determined thatthe head is present on the magnetic tape medium, the calculation unitcalculates time taken to read a remainder of the file, with a currentposition of the head as a reading start position of the file.
 8. Theinformation providing system according to claim 7, wherein the indexincludes information on time taken to move the magnetic tape medium tomount the magnetic tape medium; and if the first determination unitdetermines that the magnetic tape medium is not mounted, the calculationunit calculates the time taken to read the file by adding the time takento move the magnetic tape medium.
 9. A method executed by an informationproviding system for providing time taken to read a file, the methodcomprising: obtaining information on a recording position of a file whenthe file is recorded in a storage device, using an acquisition unit, thestorage device being a mountable magnetic tape medium; writinginformation on the obtained recording position to an index, the indexbeing referred to when accessing the file, and when accessing the filethe obtained recording position being written to the indexcontemporaneously with the file being recorded in the storage device,the recording position of the file written to the index being recordedseparate from the recorded file, and the index which includes therecording position being stored in another storage device other thanwith the recorded file; obtaining an actual position of the filerecorded in the storage device, using the acquisition unit, for therecording position of the file, the actual position includes a WRAP(lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) and LPOS(longitudinal direction of a tape) at the start of writing and WRAP andLPOS at the end of writing; calculating time taken to read the fileusing the information on the recording position written to the index inresponse to a request to obtain the time taken to read the file, whenthe tape medium is not mounted, the calculating of the time taken toread the file including a recording start position and a recording endposition for the file written to the index, the calculation unitcalculating the time from the start position of data reading to the endposition using the recorded start position and the recorded end positionwritten to the index without subsequently accessing the storage deviceafter receiving the request to obtain the time taken to read the file;and providing the calculated time to a requestor that initiated therequest to obtain the time to read the file when the tape medium is notmounted, thereby providing the calculated time to read the file withoutaccessing the storage device after receiving the request to obtain thetime taken to read the file.
 10. The method according to claim 9,wherein the storage device is a magnetic tape medium; and in theacquisition step, information on a recording start position of the fileand information on a recording end position of the file are obtained asthe information on the recording position of the file from a tape drivethat records the file in the magnetic tape medium.
 11. The methodaccording to claim 10, wherein the recording position of the fileincludes a recording start position and a recording end position of thefile in a longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape medium and arecording start position and a recording end position of the file in alateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of themagnetic tape medium.
 12. The method according to claim 9, furthercomprising: storing the index read from the storage device in anotherstorage device, wherein in the calculation step, the time taken to readthe file is calculated using the index stored in the another storagedevice.
 13. The method according to claim 9, wherein in the calculationstep, first time taken to start reading data on the file and second timefrom start of reading of the data to end of the reading are calculated;and in the providing step, the first time and the second time areprovided as the time taken to read the file.
 14. The method according toclaim 9, wherein the file includes first data and one or more pieces ofsecond data added to the first data; in the acquisition step,information on the recording position is obtained for each of the firstdata and the one or more pieces of second data; in the writing step, theinformation on the recording positions is written to the index; and inthe calculation step, the time taken to read the file is calculated byadding times taken to read the first data and the one or more pieces ofsecond data together.
 15. The method according to claim 10, furthercomprising: determining whether the magnetic tape medium is mounted; andwhen it is determined that the magnetic tape medium is mounted,determining whether a head that the tape drive uses for reading andwriting is present on the magnetic tape medium on which the file isrecorded, wherein, when it is determined that the head is present on themagnetic tape medium, time taken to read a remainder of the file iscalculated, with a current position of the head as a reading startposition of the file.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein theindex includes information on time taken to move the magnetic tapemedium to mount the magnetic tape medium; and in the step of determiningwhether the magnetic tape medium is mounted, when it is determined thatthe magnetic tape medium is not mounted, then in the calculation step,the time taken to read the file is calculated by adding the time takento move the magnetic tape medium.
 17. A computer program product forproviding time taken to read a file, the computer program productcomprising a computer readable storage medium having programinstructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable bya computer to cause the computer to perform a method, comprising:obtaining information on a recording position of a file when the file isrecorded in a storage device, using an acquisition unit, the storagedevice being a mountable magnetic tape medium; writing information onthe obtained recording position to an index, the index being referred towhen accessing the file, and when accessing the file the obtainedrecording position being written to the index contemporaneously with thefile being recorded in the storage device, the recording position of thefile written to the index being recorded separate from the recordedfile, and the index which includes the recording position being storedin another storage device other than with the recorded file, therecording position of the file being an actual position of the filerecorded in the storage device and the actual position being obtainedusing the acquisition unit, the actual position includes a WRAP (lateraldirection perpendicular to the longitudinal direction) and LPOS(longitudinal direction of a tape) at the start of writing and WRAP andLPOS at the end of writing; calculating time taken to read the fileusing the information on the recording position written to the index inresponse to a request to obtain the time taken to read the file, whenthe tape medium is not mounted, the calculating of the time taken toread the file including a recording start position and a recording endposition for the file written to the index, the calculation unitcalculating the time from the start position of data reading to the endposition using the recorded start position and the recorded end positionwritten to the index without subsequently accessing the storage deviceafter receiving the request to obtain the time taken to read the file;and providing the calculated time to a requestor that initiated therequest to obtain the time to read the file when the tape medium is notmounted, thereby providing the calculated time to read the file withoutaccessing the storage device after receiving the request to obtain thetime taken to read the file.
 18. The program product according to claim17, wherein the storage device is a magnetic tape medium; and in theacquisition step, information on a recording start position of the fileand information on a recording end position of the file are obtained asthe information on the recording position of the file from a tape drivethat records the file in the magnetic tape medium.
 19. The programproduct according to claim 18, wherein the recording position of thefile includes a recording start position and a recording end position ofthe file in a longitudinal direction of the magnetic tape medium and arecording start position and a recording end position of the file in alateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of themagnetic tape medium.
 20. The program product according to claim 17, themethod further comprising: storing the index read from the storagedevice in another storage device, wherein in the calculation step, thetime taken to read the file is calculated using the index stored in theanother storage device.